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While Natalya sleeps, I browse through all the documents she’s pinned to the walls and thrown haphazardly across the table, dresser, and even left to blanket the floor. I have to give credit where credit is due. This is an impressive little operation she has going on. Disorganized but teeming with all sorts of info I never would have been able to procure myself.
Maps recording movements, dossiers on some of Levitsky’s higher ranking officers, general approximations of manpower… She’s got it all. A one-woman army.
Behind me, Natalya stirs, mumbling softly as her eyes flutter open. A sweet smile stretches across her lips.
“Good morning,” she whispers.
“Good morning, angel. Quite the setup you’ve got here.”
Natalya sits up in bed, stretching her arms before wrapping them around her knees. “I’m pretty proud of it.”
I move in to kiss her sweet lips. It’s almost mind blowing how natural it feels. To kiss her, to hold her. Like she was made for me to adore. “Coffee?”
She crinkles her nose. “No, thank you.”
“Just as well. Tastes like ass.”
Natalya laughs softly. Good Lord, how I’ve missed the sound. “So, what do we do now?”
I sit on the edge of the bed and mull it over. “We have a common enemy now. If you’re willing, I’d like to take you back to the house and have you meet with the Bratva heads.”
She shifts uncomfortably, nibbling on her bottom lip. “Are you sure that’s a good idea? I mean, after everything I’ve put you through. I doubt they’d trust anything I have to say.”
“Are you going to try and kill me again?”
Natalya balks. “Of course not!”
“Then there’s no problem, angel. You leave it all to me, alright? If they’ve got an issue with you, they’ll have to go through me first.”
She doesn’t look too sure, but I won’t fault her for her caution. Things have been hectic lately. Lots of moving parts, plenty of alliances being formed just as they’re being broken. It’s hard to know who’s on your side until the penny finally drops.
I reach out and brush a few strands of her short black hair away from her face, tucking it behind her ear. “Talk to me, Nat. Complete honesty, remember?”
She nods. “I know. I’m just… nervous. About going back, but if you say it will be alright, then I believe you.”
“I’m not going to let anything happen to you or the baby, angel. I swear on my life.” I lean in to give her a kiss, watching the worry melt away from her face. “Now, I think we should swap notes. If we’re going to be working together, it’s imperative that we’re on the same page.”
“Okay,” she says, stretching out her legs beneath the covers. “I’ve given up on trying to track Edvard down. He’s my one and only target, but I’m convinced that not even his men know where he’s holed up. So, I’ve been doing my best to throw a wrench in his plans at every turn in the hopes that it’ll draw him out.”
“Have him come to you,” I consider aloud. “That’s definitely a lot smarter.”
“I managed to swipe one of his men’s phone, but their texts are always coded. I’ve been able to decipher a little bit here and there from what I know working with Levitsky, but it’s not much. I’m not entirely sure if it’s true, but I have a sneaking suspicion he used to work for the KGB during the Cold War. He knows all about lying low and coded messages.”
I grit my teeth. Clearly, Edvard is no ordinary adversary. He’s not only got the resources, but past experience to back him up. I don’t think I’ve ever come across a more formidable foe.
“Do you still have the phone?” I ask.
Natalya nods, moving to pull a flip phone from the bedside table drawer. She hands it to me without a fuss. It’s a burner, one easily purchased at a convenience store. The messages are all incoming, never outgoing. The last message was sent yesterday morning, likely with regards to the gambling den. It’s just an address, nothing more. Edvard keeps his communications deliberately brief and succinct.
“This is how I’ve been staying ahead,” she says. “But it’s hard for me to do any real damage. I’m just one person, and I’m not really built for bloodshed.”
“I saw those tranquilizers of yours,” I say with a hum. “Very impressive.”
“Thanks,” she says with a sheepish smile.
“You let me worry about the heavy lifting from here on out. You shouldn’t be exposing yourself like that in the first place. Not in your condition.”
Natalya rolls her eyes, but I don’t sense any heat behind it. “You make me sound so fragile.”
